Post driver



W. JARRELL June 19, 1951 POST DRIVER Filed March 31, 1948 lliw wlvllliwillv... n 2 H i NW I H. I 1 2 e f I r 1U D. llklllll/fllll I u w wT. a z 3 6 2 2 w z 0 l 3 \0 3 3 8 m a 9 P fl a w, I r a a 4 7 m 0 4 m #9 r 6 3 x 3 W 7 d 8 ll 3 X 8 3 1 0 El 8 INVENTOR Walter JZzrreZZf, BY 3 ATTORNEY.

Patented June 19, 1951 so sl mmest. PATENT. or.

POST DRIVER?- Walter Jarrell, Greshamgflreg.

Application March 31, 1948," Serial No; 1s;2s9-* (Cl. Glee-73%;.

2: Claims My invention... re1ates ..to. devices for? setting fence posts or piles'andit particularly'has for its objects:".

1; .To .;provide. a.simple"apparatus.mountedon a wheeled vehicle for transportation from one position to other positions where posts are to be set.

2. To provide such an apparatus which is operated by hydraulic fluid.

3. To provide a post driver wherein tandem cylinders and pistons are provided for first positioning the hammer proper to give the stroke desired and then effectively releasing the hammer to drop onto the head of the post or pile being set.

4. To provide a post driver by the use of which the rapidity with which posts can be set is greatly increased over known devices for the same purpose.

5. In general it is an object to provide a post driver whose operation is efiected via hydraulic fluid.

Other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

To the attainment of the aforesaid objects and ends invention still further resides in the novel details of construction, combination and arrangement of parts, all of which will be first fully described in the following detailed description, and then be particularly pointed out in the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is an end elevation showing my invention mounted on the frame of a wheeled vehicle such as a tractor, for example.

Fig. 2 is a detail section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

In the drawing I have illustrated a preferred form of my invention and by reference to which drawing it will be seen that l represents the rear axle of a tractor, 2 its wheels and 3 its frame, all of which may be of any approved construction and per se is not of my invention.

Mounted on the tractor frame 3 are cross beams 4 whose ends are connected by longitudinal bars or beams 5 and 6. The beams 4 are preferably constructed of 4 x 4" angle irons and are securely fastened to the frame 3 as at 3*.

Ears 1 are welded to the longitudinal bars 6, to which ears is pinned a pipe 8 (preferably 3 inch pipe about 12 feet long) to the upper portion of which is attached a pair of diverging braces 9 the lower ends of which are firmly connected to the beams 4, or to the longitudinal beam 5 adjacent the beams 4.

At a=suitable locationbetween the ends-of pipe 8 are fixed ears I6 to which is pivoted a striking arm H the free end of which has a clevis 18 to Which a cable I9 is attached, the cable passing over the pulleys I4 and l5 and being attached to a drop hammer 20.

The hammer 20 works in a vertical hammer guide composed of angle irons 2| held in position by bands 22 and 23 and suspended from ears H by a chain hanger 24.

A travelling clamp 25 is held on the lower ends of the extension 2| of the frame composed of the parts 2|, 22 and 23, by means of clamp slides 26 and an eccentric lever 28 linked to the clamp sides 26 as at 29 when a post 21 is in place.

A hook 3| is held to pipe 8 by an eye 30 and engages an eye 32 on the extensions 2| when the device is not in operation but is in transit from one place to another.

Pivoted at 34 to ears 33 is a low speed hydraulic jack composed of a cylinder-35 and piston 38, to which piston the cylinder 36 of a high speed hydraulic jack is pivoted at 31. The high speed jack has its piston 39 linked at 40 to a clevis that is pivoted at 4| to the arm H.

The jacks are controlled from a box 42 into which hydraulic fluid is pumped via ducts 49 and. 49 and distributed to the jacks by control valves 43 and 46.

The valve 43 is connected by ducts 44 and 45 with the ends of the cylinder 35 while valve 46 is connected by ducts 41 and 48 with the ends of the cylinder 36. Valve 43 is operated via a control lever 50 while the valve 46 is operated by a lever 5|.

It will be seen that the parts 4, 6, l, 8 and 9, or their equivalent, constitute a supporting frame.

In operation the parts are positioned as in Fig. 1. The initial position of the weight or hammer 20 is determined by the use of the low speed jack operating the arm via the cylinder 36, piston 39, the cylinder and piston of the high speed jack being at this time inactive.

After positioning the post 21 where it is to be driven and having determined the drop of the hammer 2|], high speed jack is operated to rock arm I up to slack the cable I9 and thereby permit hammer 20 to drop onto the top of the post to drive it into the ground. The lifting and dropping of the hammer 20 is efiected by simply turning handle 5| from one position to the reverse as desired. By manipulating handle 50 a.

longer or shorter drop of the hammer can be had as may be desired.

In the embodiment of my invention in practice I use a 2 inch cylinder 35 with a piston stroke of 18 inches for the low speed jack and for the high speed jack I use a 1 inch cylinder with a piston stroke of 18 inches, although I do not wish to limit myself in this application to those specific dimensions herein referred to.

What I claim is.

1. A post driver which includes a wheeled vehicle, having a frame, a supporting frame mounted on the vehicle frame and including an inclined pipe having cable guiding pulleys at its top, a

striking arm pivoted to said pipe, a hammer guide suspended from said pipe, a hammer operable in said hammer guide, a cable connected to said hammer and passing over said pulleys and connected to said striking arm, and a low speed and a high speed hydraulic jack connected in tandem and respectively to said supporting frame and said striking arm, and means to control the action of said jacks to operate said hammer.

2. A post driver mounted on a wheeled vehicle and including a suitable supporting frame, a hammer guide suspended from said frame, a drop hammer mounted in said hammer guide, a striking arm pivoted to said supporting frame, cable guiding pulleys mounted on said supporting frame, a cable connected to said hammer and to said striking arm and passing over said pulleys, and hydraulic means connected with said arm for adjusting the stroke of said hammer, and hydraulic means connected with said arm for releasing said hammer and thereafter raising the hammer, said hydraulic means including a low speed jack for stroke adjustment and a high speed jack for releasing and returning said hammer.

WALTER JARRELL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date 

